Cam Newton: Which NFL Team Would Be The Best Fit?

Assuming his Auburn Tigers win the national championship next month, Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton’s college résumé will be complete. But does that mean the junior will take his talents to the next level?

Presumably, yes. Newton, in one short season as a starter, has shown he can dominate the college game like few players we have seen before. And while any NFL team would be lucky to receive his services, some are currently needier than others.

Carolina Panthers

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At 1-12, the Kitties are in absolute disarray, plagued mostly by an anemic offense that can’t score on anyone. For the season, Carolina ranks dead last in the league in total offense, passing yards, touchdown passes and yards per attempt and second-to-last in completion percentage.

Furthermore, the combination of Matt Moore and rookie Jimmy Clausen under center has been a mitigated disaster. Together, the two have combined for six touchdowns and 17 interceptions.

There’s nothing separating the Panthers from the first overall pick in April, but having just spent a second-round selection on Clausen, is Carolina in a position to take another quarterback, particularly when issues are so widespread?

In my opinion, yes. If Newton chooses to come out, he would provide the Panthers with an immediate scoring threat at the quarterback position. His physicality would mesh well with backs Jonathan Stewart, Mike Goodson and DeAngelo Williams in the running game, and provided the front office finds some receivers to complement Steve Smith, Newton would be a weapon through the air.

Above all, though, selecting a high-profile player with so much upside would convey to the Panthers’ starved fan base that the organization is committed to turning things around.

Denver Broncos

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The recent firing of Josh McDaniels left the Broncos with no official head coach and a void at general manager so, clearly, there are bigger fish to fry in Denver than dissecting the prospects of drafting Newton.

Granted, next April’s draft selections will be predicated upon which style of coach a new GM decides to hire. And you would have to think that after McDaniels’ head-scratching decision to select Tim Tebow No. 25 overall last year, whoever takes the Broncos’ reins will be conservative in the first round.

Does that philosophy automatically exclude Newton from Denver’s draft plans? And do those plans include taking another quarterback?

Kyle Orton has become a bona fide star since taking over the starting duties in Denver, passing for career-highs in touchdowns and yards last season and nearing those numbers again this season. And at age 28, he’s got a lengthy shelf life, meaning the Broncos look to be set at the position for the foreseeable future.

With the likes of Jon Gruden and Bill Cowher and even Air Force’s Troy Calhoun, a former Shanahan assistant, receiving looks to succeed McDaniels, indications are the defensively starved Broncos will shy away from Newton.

But if McDaniels showed us anything, it’s that no pick in the draft is off limits, no matter the round.

Seattle Seahawks

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All is not well in Seattle and the issues extend beyond the club’s sub-.500 record. Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck will be 36 years of age shortly after the 2011 season begins and he has endured a history of injuries, having played a full 16-game season only once in the past five seasons.

The Seattle offense, which ranks 27th in total yardage this season, needs an injection of youth. But would Newton be the player to provide it?

Head coach Pete Carroll has plenty of experience babysitting big-time players whose college careers were stuff of legend. And if there’s one coach whose style is laid-back enough to relate to the swagger-filled Newton, it’s Carroll.

That said, there might be concerns that Newton would have trouble picking up the intricacies of offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates’ West Coast scheme. Of course, the Seahawks could always groom Newton, but that would imply that the team would be comfortable with keeping Hasselbeck’s aging body together with more scotch tape and paperclips.

Tennessee Titans

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The moment Jeff Fisher gave Vince Young his walking papers, Newton became a very real possibility for the Titans.

Kerry Collins is at the precipice of his career. Chris Simms will never be a starter in the NFL. And Rusty Smith, though somewhat effective in his brief playing time this season, doesn’t seem to fit the organization’s long-term plans.

Any casual observer could distinguish the impact Young had on the Tennessee offense with his playmaking ability. Coupled with Chris Johnson, Young forced defenses to theoretically prepare for two running backs on every down. Newton offers up the same scenario.

At the moment, the Titans, losers of six games in a row, are in a free-fall and only an inspired finish will likely separate them from a top 10 pick in the draft. Which direction will they take?

Given the drama behind the whole Young saga, it’s hard to decipher whether Fisher, a no-nonsense kind of coach, would be willing to invest in another quarterback whose immense talents on the field at times give way to problems off it.

Buffalo Bills

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Though not spectacular, the Buffalo offense has not been the source of the team’s woes in 2010. That would be a defense that surrenders nearly 365 yards per game, including a league-worst 165 on the ground.

Obviously there are larger issues taking place in Buffalo than under center, where Ryan Fitzpatrick has thrown for 2,526 yards and 21 touchdowns versus 11 interceptions—all career highs.

Fitzpatrick is only 28 and appears to be in his prime, so you have to wonder whether the Bills would be willing to draft a quarterback, especially at the expense of neglecting more pressing needs.

Newton would fit well with Buffalo’s solid corps of receivers—Steve Johnson, Lee Evans and Roscoe Parrish—but the staff will likely spend its first few selections on defense, specifically a game-changer or two to solidify the front seven.

Houston Texans

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If Houston’s past failures weren’t enough to push head coach Gary Kubiak out, this season’s second-half meltdown most certainly will be. After a 4-2 start, the Texans have lost five of their last six and are currently three games behind Baltimore for the final playoff spot in the AFC.

The losing in Houston has to stop at some point and what better way for a new head coach to endear himself to an exasperated fan base than to somehow engineer a game plan to acquire Newton, who would form a formidable one-two punch with Andre Johnson, arguably the game’s best receiver?

Of course, it’s somewhat possible Kubiak could be welcomed back for a sixth season, in which case the witch hunt will be in full effect. At that point, Kubiak’s only alternative for saving his own neck may be to select a player of Newton’s caliber.

Arizona Cardinals

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In most statistical categories, Carolina’s nearest neighbor in offensive futility is Arizona, who is bumbling in the post-Kurt Warner era.

How bad are things in the desert? The starter, Derek Anderson, when he’s not on his back, can’t hit the broad side of a barn. The backup, rookie Max Hall, looks like, well, a rookie. And Steve Breaston, a receiver, has the team’s highest completion average, having thrown one pass for 17 yards.

That leaves the duties to John Skelton, a fifth-round pick from Fordham. Let that sink in. John Skelton is the quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals, a team that came within one win of the NFC championship a season ago.

If the Panthers were to pass on Newton, it’s possible he could fall to the Cardinals, a team that would have to possibly trade up to obtain him. If they’re successful, he becomes the starting quarterback based on name recognition alone. That, and the fact his skills far surpass those of any quarterback currently on the Arizona roster.

San Francisco 49ers

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It’s plain to see the development of a trend involving quarterback play in the NFC West, by far the worst division in the NFL. The only team with any kind of reliable asset at the position is St. Louis, which is rapidly drawing envy from divisional rivals because of the steady play from rookie Sam Bradford.

Both 26, Alex Smith and Troy Smith have shared a majority of the duties in San Francisco this season, and each is capable of making plays in a number of ways. And while neither has to be overwhelming in Mike Singletary’s run-first scheme, the two haven’t consistently performed at a level high enough to warrant the organization not at least looking at other options.

As long as Singletary is around, the Niners’ offense will go through running back Frank Gore or whoever is lined up in the backfield.

Would Newton, the end-all, be-all of the Auburn offense, be willing to give up some of the spotlight? Or would Singletary tweak his scheme to take advantage of Newton’s potential to singe defenses both running and passing the ball?

Washington Redskins

The Redskins haven’t exactly been proficient at selecting quarterbacks in the first round. Way back in 1994, Heath Shuler was taken third overall, and we all know how that turned out.

Eight years later, Washington selected Patrick Ramsey with the last selection in the first round. Succeeding him was Jason Campbell, chosen 25th overall. Campbell had his moments in Washington but was traded to Oakland when the Mike Shanahan regime elected to acquire Donovan McNabb.

Not exactly a sterling track record. But with little behind the aging McNabb, would the Washington brass roll the dice if Newton were available?

As would be the case in Seattle, Newton would have to learn the nuances of a Shanahan offense, which requires a savvy leader under center.

Even so, I don’t know if the ‘Skins—who are under assault from fans for what is guaranteed to be a third consecutive non-winning season—could resist making a splash as big as the one Newton would generate.

Minnesota Vikings

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Supposedly, Brett Favre is going to retire after this season.

We’ll be wrung through the same song-and-dance this offseason while Favre waffles with his decision. But assume he does hang it up. Is there a Vikings fan out there that honestly feels comfortable with Tavaris Jackson as Favre’s successor? I would bet not.

The Vikings, who at best will finish the season 9-7, would likely have to pull some strings to get a deal done, but what about Newton?

He’d have the receivers. A backfield comprised of Adrian Peterson and Toby Gerhart would minimize the pressure to make plays. And, as we all remember, Minnesota has had luck in the past with oversized dual-threat quarterbacks.

So why not? To be fair, Jackson has waited his turn and deserves a puncher’s chance at taking Favre’s place, much like Aaron Rodgers got in Green Bay.